This past weekend representatives from the Foundation and the Fellowship
met in Chicago to exchange information and understanding, both political
and personal. We began the process with a social event Thursday evening,
gathered all day Friday for an exploration of our diverse organizations,
and then again on Saturday night for a beautiful worship and warm expressions
of gratitude for the opportunity to socialize with each other.

The results of this exchange must be viewed in dual terms, as a first
step in the practical aspects of two organizations seeking common ground
for current work, and as a first attempt to define a new paradigm for the
revelation community that will lead us into the future.

After a Friday morning meeting in which we explored the structures of
our two organizations, we came to understand the fundamental differences
between the Fellowship and the Foundation/IUA (International Urantia Association);
this understanding opened the door to a more compassionate and accurate
evaluation of the issues between us. While the Fellowship is governed by
a General Council of elected representatives who guide the direction of
the organization but exercise no control over the actions of its members
and societies, the IUA is governed by a board of directors, the five Trustees,
who decide the policies that guide each IUA group. In the Fellowship, the
implementation of General Council policy is the responsibility of the elected
officers and committee chairs who comprise the Executive Committee; in
the Foundation, this responsibility falls to the Coordinating Committee
members who are appointed by the Trustees.

We spent many hours discussing these structural differences and how
they affect the outworking of policy within each organization. The Foundation/IUA
is united regarding the particular methods of disseminating the revelation,
while the Fellowship encourages the unique plans of all members and groups.
Consequently, it is impossible for one group to judge the actions of another
by organizational standards; the lesson of the snarling caveman became
brilliantly clear as we explored our diverse structures.

During the afternoon discussions we discovered common ground in the
arena of socialization among readers, and dissemination by believers through
various outreach programs. We committed ourselves to increased communication
and an exchange of information regarding the activities of our members.
You will eventually see comprehensive lists of conferences, expos, book
fairs, and other social/service options published in the newsletters and
on the websites of both organizations. We are hoping to make all opportunities
for socialization, study, and dissemination of the revelation available
to all readers within the community. We established communication links
between responsible parties from both organizations for the exchange of
service invitations and information.

Regarding the resolution of more difficult issues between our organizations,
those related to ideology and legalities, we established cooperative teams
to explore ways to transcend differences that will benefit both the epochal
revelation and the emerging community. These committees will discuss translations,
websites, reader referral, combined video efforts, and other issues related
to unity and cooperation. It is my personal hope that this exploration
will result in the illumination of a new paradigm for revelation service,
one that will encourage all members of a unified community to freely disseminate
an inviolate text.

We need a new paradigm and a new language. If we sincerely seek a resolution
to the issues that divide this community and waste our personal resources
we can no longer speak in terms of us and them, absolute control or unlimited
freedom. We must transcend our diverse ideologies and discover a vision
that leads us into the new millennium, a vision in which individuals and
groups serve the revelation and the community in ways that promote the
fundamental value common to all: the dynamic dissemination of an inviolate
text. If we can focus on this goal while exploring win/win solutions to
the issues created by our diverse methods, progress is within reach.

During the Saturday evening remembrance supper many of us were moved
to tears by the sight of brothers and sisters joined in heart and mind
by the Masterís presence. The motivation to resolve these issues springs
from love, from the strength of personality contact between unique believers
committed to unfolding an epochal revelation on a confused world. Letís
do this work together; letís embrace supremacy in our revelation service.